RETIREMENT HAS ALWAYS been part of
the American dream: Work long enough
until you have the money to enjoy a work-free life. But too many Americans are reaching the age when they’d like to retire without
the funds to do so.

“Saving for the future is often put on theback burner for what may seem like morepressing financial priorities, such as paying forchildren’s college education,” says DanGreenshields, president of Capital OneShareBuilder Inc., an online brokerage andCostco service provider. “More than everbefore, individuals are responsible for ensuringtheir own financial security during retirement.”Greenshields offers these thoughts toconsider in preparing for retirement.

How much will you need to finance your
retirement? Do you plan to move, travel or
take up new hobbies?

Estimate your retirement needs. Identify
potential expenses, and calculate the
amount you might receive from each
source of retirement income, such as Social
Security, pensions, personal investments
and employment earnings.

Invest early for retirement and contribute
as much as possible to employer-spon-sored retirement plans and IRAs. It’s also
smart to automatically transfer a regular
contribution from your paycheck to a
retirement account.

Make planning a family affair by scheduling times to discuss your financial future
with your partner or family members.

Consider working with a qualified finan-cial professional to help ensure your retire-ment plan is on target.

It is never too early or too late to get started.

Put your money to work

Money in savings is great, but savings
accounts tend to earn you little on your
investment. Consider trading stocks and
bonds for a potentially bigger gain, albeit with
no guarantees. These are not FDIC insured.

Capital One ShareBuilder can help Costco
members with this strategy. With
ShareBuilder’s simple-to-use website, there’s
no wasting time talking to a broker. Tools are
available to help you research and find stocks
that interest you. Trades are $5.95, a dollar off
ShareBuilder’s usual price. Low-priced securities, options and mutual funds may be extra.
Get started with no minimums. — Steve Fisher

Taking charge of

your retirementinside costco

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Connecting

For more information on ShareBuilder, go
to Costco.com, click on “Services,” then
“Online Investing.”